I'm often asked about critique in my writing workshops. Some of the time, people are nervous about the idea of being harshly criticized in a workshop setting. Other times, they're actually sort of hoping to be critiqued harshly -- either they think harsh criticism is the key to improving their writing, or they've been so "toughened up" in another workshop or writing class that they claim to no longer take it personally.

I've been on both sides of the spectrum. I know what it feels like to be so emotionally connected to your work that you're afraid to share it, and I also know what it's like to completely harden yourself against the pain of criticism -- that's like day one of journalism school! In this video, I talk about the role critique plays in my workshops (read: a very small one) and how writing skills can drastically improve through entirely positive feedback.